The PCL and ACL are attached between the tibia and the femur in the knee. In cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery, a damaged cruciate ligament is replaced with a tendon graft or artificial graft that is secured to the tibia and the femur.
A known technique for securing a PCL graft to the femur involves drilling a femoral tunnel from outside the joint, through the femur, and into the central notch of the femur. An aimer arm of a guide, such as an ACL guide with a dedicated PCL aimer, is placed through a portal of the knee with the point of the aimer arm located where the tunnel will enter the notch. The other end of the guide has an advanceable guidewire support tube (bullet) that is positioned against the exterior of the femur through a small incision. The guide assures that a guidewire inserted through the bullet will pass through the femur and hit the aimer point.
The position of the aimer point may be viewed arthroscopically, and a series of depth marks are provided on the aimer arm for use in positioning the aimer point on the notch wall. These depth marks indicate the distance from the aimer point to the intersection of the notch wall and articular cartilage.